| The Christian Life | May 1940 |
Established in the Faith
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.”—Colossians 2:6,7
A CONDITION of lethargy and stagnation in spiritual affairs is a deplorable one for the Christian. Much is said in the Bible indicating that a Christian should not be satisfied to stand still, but should be ever on the alert to make progress, both in knowledge and in grace. On the other hand, the Scriptures also are emphatic in their instructions that the followers of the Master should be established in the faith. Hebrews 6:19 represents this condition of steadfastness as one in which the soul is “anchored.” Hebrews 10:23 admonishes us to “hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering.” Thus the Scriptures present to us a sort of spiritual balance, in that in the Faith they reveal the necessity of, true Christian progress, while at the same time emphasizing the importance of being rooted and grounded in the faith in order that we may not be “carried about with every wind of doctrine.”—Eph. 4:14
In our text the apostle is addressing those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Redeemer, and who, through full consecration to do the Father’s will, have been inducted into the body of Christ. These understand that it is the divine will, through the Christ company consisting of Jesus the Head and the church His body, to establish a Kingdom upon the earth and through that Kingdom to deliver mankind from the power of sin and death. All those who are in Christ Jesus have received Him with this understanding. This is the only message which God has sent through His Word. This is “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”—Jude 3
It is these consecrated Christians whom Paul admonishes to continue in the faith, and not to try to combine earthly philosophy with this heavenly message. Having received Christ Jesus thus, and been made members of His mystical body, they are to realize that in Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” in whom “dwelleth all the fulness of the Deity bodily.” (Col. 2:3,9) Having recognized and accepted Him as the Heavenly Teacher, they are to continue to make progress, not by departing from Him and from the faith that is centered in Him, but by being rooted and grounded in Him, thus placing themselves in a position to imbibe more and more of His spirit. These are to realize that any other doctrine would serve only to confuse the heavenly message in their minds.
Turning from the figure of a man walking in Christ Jesus as a member of His body, the apostle gives us the illustration of a tree, the root of which goes downward, and the trunk of which reaches upward, to obtain that nourishment which will give it strength and stability. In this illustration of the Christian life and its relationship to Christ Jesus, the roots of faith are seen to push down deep into the knowledge of the divine plan, while the tree of character grows higher and higher, developing and maturing the rich fruits of the Holy Spirit of God.
While the Christian is thus growing up in character likeness to our Redeemer, and the roots of his faith are reaching down into the deep things of the Word of God, he is becoming established, settled. He is not becoming established in bigotry and intolerance, but in the knowledge and spirit of Christ. A tree that is well rooted in the earth is able to withstand the winds and storms that come upon it. So it is with the Christian whose faith has been properly established. He should be so fixed, so established in the promises of God, and so filled with the spirit of those promises, that no winds of doctrine can overturn his faith or shake his confidence in the divine will for him.
It is not a sign of spiritual health for one to be ever looking around for something new. Before we learned of the divine plan, and our privileges therein as members of the body of Christ, it was natural and proper that we should be on the alert to find a better explanation of God’s intentions toward the human race. Many indeed, in such a search, have drifted from one denomination to another, finding only that the viewpoint of all was unsatisfactory in that they limited the Mercy, Love and Power of God, and presented no clear vision of the future destiny of men and of nations.
But when we finally were favored by God with an understanding of His glorious plan, and saw revealed therein the length and breadth and the height and depth of divine love, and the wondrous harmony of the Scriptures, we exclaimed, and rightfully so, “it satisfies my longings as nothing else can do.” After God has thus shined into our hearts by the Gospel, and in responding to this evidence of His grace, we have presented ourselves in full consecration to do His will, being assured that, as a result, we are accepted as members of the Christ company, it would denote lack of appreciation and a dimming of spiritual vision to be restlessly seeking for new light.
For those who do not know the truth of the divine plan, the theories of Evolution, Christian Science, New Thought, etc., may have an appeal in that they, at least, get away from the dogma of eternal torture and other God-dishonoring theories of the dark ages. But for those who have come to a knowledge of the divine plan, Satan has theories more subtle than these. If we go searching around for what we may find outside of the divine plan, we may discover that from some quarters the claim is made that God is so loving that He will not even destroy the Devil, but rather eventually will find a way to reconcile him to the divine will. If our minds tend toward mathematics, we may find ourselves spending much time and valuable energy in searching out some new system of Chronology. Under the misnomer of new light, Satan may keep us continually busy studying other’s interpretations of so-called types and pictures of the Old Testament or else making up interpretations of our own. But along none of these sidelines would we find spiritual food to build us up and strengthen us to withstand the storms of persecution and opposition that are sure to blow against all the consecrated in the final test of their faithfulness as members of the body of Christ.
GOD’S WORD THE SOURCE OF STRENGTH
The plan of God as revealed in His Word furnishes an abundant source for research and study in spiritual things. Let us more and more delve into the promises of God. There is virtually no limit to these glorious promises. It is by this means alone that we can become established in the faith. Such delving into the Word of God will not establish us in our own imaginings nor in the imaginings of others. If we have truly caught the spirit of the divine plan and maintained a clear vision of the Father’s will for us with respect to that plan, we will not feel any sense of bondage that may impel us to ramble outside to find something to satisfy our longings. Such a disposition is not the spirit of a true son of God. Such sentiments encouraged would lead to utter spiritual disaster.
Our spirit should be one of deepest gratitude and thankfulness that we have been granted this glorious, divine revelation. It will be by thus following in the Lord’s way that we will find the only true joy and will be able to make the only real progress that is authorized and encouraged in the Word of God.
The truth of the divine plan embraces all of the scriptural teachings relative to Christ and His work; as well, also, as our own relationship to Him as members of His body. We should familiarize ourselves with the different features of this truth. This glorious faith which was once delivered unto the saints is so firmly founded in the Word of God, being supported by every passage thereof, that no matter how searching and scrutinizing our study may be, it will cause the truth to shine out more resplendently and convince us more than ever how truly scriptural it is in its every aspect.
To be established in this faith, we should know what our Lord taught, and why He taught it. We should learn how to connect the different parts of the truth into one harmonious whole. In this way we are to become thoroughly furnished, not only in the knowledge of the divine plan, but in the manner in which that plan is to be a guide in our endeavors to do the Father’s will. It is in the personal application of the truth that its real importance becomes most apparent. If we are not firmly established in the faith, our Christian lives will become haphazard and undirected.
The general sentiment among the modern nominal teachers of religion is that to be established in the faith is to be a bigot. This false viewpoint is becoming increasingly apparent in the world and in worldly churches today. Throughout all Christendom definite belief in any sort of Christian doctrine is giving way to a spirit of unbelief which is incorrectly called Christian tolerance and liberalism. The truly consecrated followers of the Master are not immune to this newly developed spirit of the world and its baneful influence, upon steadfastness in the faith. This spirit of unbelief has become so widespread throughout Christendom that it is almost considered a virtue for one to be able to say that he is not sure of anything so far as his belief is concerned. And those who do attempt to be certain of their standing in the truth and of their appreciation of the promises of God are frequently looked upon as being intolerant bigots, lacking in Christian love in their relationship to others.
A strong and steadfast Christian is not a bigot. He knows what he believes and how his belief is to be practiced in his life, because he studiously has proved every item thereof step by step from the Word of God. To him, because of his implicit faith in the Bible, a “thus saith the Lord” is the end of all controversy. In simple, childlike faith he accepts and firmly holds to what God has inspired, and has given him to behold and appreciate.
A bigot, on the other hand, is one who is established in error, and insists upon holding to unsupported error regardless of what the Word of God may teach. A bigot usually holds tenaciously to his viewpoint through fear. He probably realizes deep down in his heart that his theories cannot be supported by the Word of God, and to make up for this lack of inspired support he boldly proclaims his loyalty to his creed and often is very intolerant toward those who do not agree with him.
The firmly established Christian, however, has nothing to fear. He is confident of his standing in the truth, not because he is self-centered and conceited, but because he knows through a consistent study of God’s Word, that the doctrines of Christ to which he has subscribed are firmly established therein. Knowing this, he realizes, also, that the responsibility for these doctrines is not his, but the Lord’s. He knows, moreover, that it is not within his province to condemn and ostracize those who do not agree with him. And being confident of the divine will for himself, and of the divine plan to bless all the families of the earth in due time, he is willing to give all of his attention to pleasing the Lord and can look kindly and tolerantly upon those who do not agree with him, being assured that the Lord knoweth them that are His, and that in due time they, too, will see and appreciate the better way.
TRUE CHRISTIAN TOLERANCE
True Christian tolerance does not call for the, giving up of our faith in the divine plan and promises in order not to offend those who do not agree with us; nor even to refrain from discussing our views. Those who are firmly established in the faith of Jesus Christ should tenaciously hold to their position, and enthusiastically make it known to all as opportunity affords. Failure to do this will result in a dimming of the Gospel light that should shine out from each consecrated life. If we permit our light to become intermingled with darkness in order not to offend those who are in darkness, then we are failing to that extent to let our light shine.
However, to boldly stand for the truth ourselves and to uncompromisingly present it to others does not mean that we will judge and condemn those who do not accept our views. It does mean, however, that we will not court the friendship and support of those with whom we do not agree by giving them the impression that we are not sure of our own position, and that, therefore, they may be as nearly right as we are. This is a compromising position and the Christian who adopts such a policy is one who is well described by the Apostle James as being double-minded, and therefore not stable in all his ways.
Those who are firmly established in the faith once delivered unto the saints and who have imbibed the spirit of that glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, are in a better position to exercise Christian tolerance toward others than those who are not certain of their position. Being established means that one has found his “all in all” and is satisfied. The assurance of his position in the truth and his standing with the Lord should produce in him an amiable and sympathetic attitude toward those who are not so richly blessed.
On the other hand, to be wavering, and to be blown about by every wind of doctrine, is to be in a dissatisfied condition of heart and of mind. Such an one is quite likely to seek comfort and companionship among those who are in a similar attitude of uncertainty. In such an event one doesn’t mind so much what the other fellow believes or does not believe, so long as they can agree that they are not sure whether or not they believe anything. The outgrowth of such an attitude frequently is that those who are not willing to share this doubting-Thomas philosophy are branded as being narrow-minded and sectarian. Thus it sometimes happens that those who adopt this creed of so-called liberality in belief are most intolerant toward those who are not willing to accept their creed.
Let us, dear brethren, seek to avoid all such snares and pitfalls set for us by the adversary in these days of final testing upon the consecrated. While it is a time when faith in God and in His Word is on the wane almost everywhere, yet it is a time when the truly consecrated and enlightened children of God have more to strengthen their faith in the verities of Present Truth than at any other period in the harvest time. It is, indeed, a time for the lifting up of the head in confidence and rejoicing in the clear vision of truth with which our returned Lord has favored His people in this wonderful time of the earth’s history.
As we have said before, let us not judge and condemn those who do not agree with us. On the other hand, let us not make the mistake of supposing that in order to exercise Christian tolerance toward them we must give up our own full assurance of faith. Furthermore, let us not be discouraged if others, in their uncertainty and unbelief, criticize and condemn us because of our rejoicing in the truth. In outlining thus some of the symptoms of spiritual sickness, it is merely with the intent of encouraging the brethren to themselves avoid the contaminating influences of unbelief; and by individual steadfastness and an enthusiasm for the truth to be in a better position to help those who possibly may be temporarily wavering.
Brother Russell once said that we are to do all in our power to help those who have gone out of the way. Not however, by joining with them, and thus run the risk of ourselves being dragged away from the path of true fidelity to God and to His truth, but by continuing to stand in the way ourselves and calling to those who have erred to return to their first love, and to come back to their abiding rest of faith in the things which they have learned and of which they have, in the past, been assured.
This is the blessed privilege that all of the consecrated may enjoy today. The spirit of radicalism and fanaticism is rampant throughout the earth. In order for the Lord’s people to hold out against such a spirit they will need to be more and more emptied of self, and filled with the spirit of God which is the spirit of love. As we become filled with the spirit of God, by continued, energetic and careful study of His Word, and an earnest endeavor to apply its principles in our daily lives, we will find that it is, also, a spirit of a sound mind which will give us a sense of balance in relation not only to a proper, appreciation and understanding of the truth itself, but also of all our experiences as Christ’s followers.
Being firmly established in the faith and fully convinced of all its implications insofar as our relationship to the Lord is concerned, we will tolerate no deflection on our own part from the course of true fidelity to the divine will. While granting no liberties to ourselves outside of the clear expression of the divine will for us, we will, nevertheless, grant full liberty of thought and conscience to others, not by agreeing with them, but by leaving them in the Lord’s hands. However, let us patiently and carefully watch for opportunities to do all in our power to bless them and to help them see the way of Truth more perfectly.